Have you used your linkedin profile? If you're looking for a job or are active you're going to get more attention. Your name will also start being added to lead databases when you apply for jobs and those will kick around for a couple years until it's marked as uninteresting.
Yes and no. It's hard to enter chip design directly. But eventually all chips are used in a PCB and there's a lot going on on that interface. It's called application engineering or systems engineering in the field and that is also hot.
Yes. Design is hot but manufacturing is in a down cycle at the moment. Another hot field is EDA software development but it's dominated by 3 giant companies.
And this was for multiple years.
That hasn't been the case for the last 3 or 4 months.
None of this surprises me and it shouldn't for others.